by Tasha Black
Fletcher
Stargazer Alien Mystery Brides #2
Tasha Black
13th Story Press
Copyright © 2020 by 13th Story Press
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
13th Story Press
PO Box 506
Swarthmore, PA 19081
[email protected]
Contents
Tasha Black Starter Library
About Fletcher
Fletcher
1. Jana
2. Fletcher
3. Jana
4. Jana
5. Fletcher
6. Jana
7. Fletcher
8. Jana
9. Fletcher
10. Jana
11. Fletcher
12. Jana
13. Jana
14. Fletcher
15. Jana
16. Fletcher
17. Jana
18. Jana
19. Fletcher
20. Jana
21. Fletcher
22. Fletcher
23. Jana
24. Jana
Spenser - SAMPLE
1. Natalie
2. Natalie
Intergalactic Dating Agency
Tasha Black Starter Library
About the Author
One Percent Club
Tasha Black Starter Library
Packed with steamy shifters, mischievous magic, billionaire superheroes, and plenty of HEAT, the Tasha Black Starter Library is the perfect way to dive into Tasha's unique brand of Romance with Bite!
Get your FREE books now at tashablack.com!
About Fletcher
She wants nothing more than a career onstage, until this hunky alien puts their love in the spotlight.
Jana Watson used to be embarrassed of her larger-than-life physique, then a stint in live theatre taught her to love herself just as she is. Now she is on her way to the role of a lifetime. When a drop-dead gorgeous alien professes his love, her lifelong career plan is put to the test.
Fletcher’s big body was designed to attract the women of Earth. But the only one he actually wants seems determined to ignore the undeniable heat between them. He’s trying his best to give the fearless beauty the space she needs. But he’s traveled lightyears to find her and he’s not about to give up now.
When the mysteries in town begin to escalate, the two are thrown together on a dangerous mission for the detective agency. Can Jana resist her growing bond with Fletcher and keep her eyes on the prize? Or will he finally convince her that she can have it all?
If you like strong women, hunky aliens, wild adventures, steamy sensual scenes, and happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love the world of Stargazer! The Stargazer Mystery Brides are an alien romance homage to the stories of Sherlock Holmes.
Stargazer Alien Mystery Brides:
- Hannibal
- Fletcher
- Spenser
Fletcher
1
Jana
Jana Watson was dreaming.
She knew it from the sight of the beach - the cool blue ocean and the snowy white sand, baking under a hot afternoon sun.
She had spent every summer at the same beach as a kid, until her family lost just about everything but each other in the recession.
The house at the Jersey shore was nothing special, as her mom had told her repeatedly. They’d bought it cheap, meaning to fix it up one day, but the bank took it away before they ever got the chance.
Jana didn’t think about the paneled walls and the chipped Formica counters. Whenever she recalled the house “down the shore,” she always remembered the creak of the porch swing, and the way the humidity made the painted floor boards cling slightly to her bare feet like kisses.
To Jana, it had been the most magical place in the world.
When she made it big, she was going to buy it back, or a place just like it. Whenever things got stressful, she closed her eyes and pictured herself here.
But it never felt so real as it did right now.
The sand was hot enough to almost burn the soles of her feet, and the scent and sight of the ocean filled her with a feeling of smallness she hadn’t experienced in so long.
She looked out beyond the waves at the place where the sky and sea melted into each other and shivered with delight. Jana took a step toward the water and a salty breeze whipped by, carrying her straw hat with it.
She turned to see it tumbling across the sand. And though she knew the wind and gravity alternately controlled it, it felt as if some other thing were pulling it, too. It was as if the hat were on marionette strings so that some unseen force could draw it into the tall grasses.
She chased it lazily, half-watching its progress. When it found a lively air current and sailed over her head, she spun around, back toward the beach.
The sun was sinking now, glittering on the water and setting the waves into bold relief. Its brilliance made her blink against the sight before her.
A man stood, silhouetted against the shimmering ocean.
He was holding her hat.
Jana shielded her eyes with her hand and tried got get a look at him.
The shape of him was familiar somehow. He was huge and muscular, yet his posture was not menacing.
He looked like he was waiting for her. Like he would patiently wait lifetimes…
“Fletcher?” she whispered, knowing him by his gentle presence more than his physical features. Although his sandy hair and deep blue eyes seemed like a perfect echo of their surroundings.
He moved toward her, slowly enough that she could change her mind if she wanted.
But Jana’s body and soul were ready to surrender to her need for him, which felt heavy as an anchor, inexorable as the setting of the sun over the water.
“Jana,” he murmured, taking her in his arms.
His chest was warm, and she could feel the flex of his muscles as his arms closed around her.
Just as she had always imagined.
She shivered with pleasure as he nuzzled her hair.
“Jana,” he murmured again. “Jana.”
His voice was pitching strangely higher now.
No, no, no…
“Jana.”
The dream was ending. Already, she could feel her pillow wrapped in her arms instead of his strong body, the cool sheet beneath her instead of the hot sand.
“Jana, it’s time to go,” came Vi’s impatient voice from the other side of the door.
“I’m up,” Jana managed. “I’m up, just give me a minute.”
“Awesome,” Vi said approvingly. “You have twenty minutes.”
If she had twenty minutes, Jana would have much preferred to spend it seeing where that dream was going.
But there was no point arguing with Vi. Jana’s amazing roommate had made the decision to give up on her mobile pet grooming business and hang a shingle as a private detective instead. And Jana, having nothing else to do while she awaited the results of her second Broadway callback, had volunteered to be her Girl Friday.
She dragged herself out of bed and headed to her bathroom for a quick shower.
Twenty minutes later on the dot, Jana was dressed and ready with a cup of coffee in hand, sitting at the picnic table on the shared patio behind their building.
Vi had a cup of coffee too, but she had to keep putting it down because sh
e talked with her hands.
“It could be a very long morning,” Vi was warning Jana. “We have no idea when he’s going to take the tow truck out.”
“Isn’t that kind of the whole deal with a stakeout?” Jana asked.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t sure you knew,” Vi said.
“Only from the movies, but I think I’m good,” Jana said. “I brought a thermos of coffee, and…” She pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and slid them on. “These.”
Vi burst out laughing.
“What?” Jana asked. “I just got them. You don’t like them?”
“No, no, they’re great,” Vi said. “It’s just… you’re the only person I know who can put on a pair of sunglasses and look less incognito.”
Well, there was nothing Jana could do about that.
“I guess it’s not your fault you’re gorgeous,” Vi said, shaking her head. “I’m going in to grab my bag. Stay here a minute.”
Jana laughed and watched her go. There was a time when that whole exchange would have given her a stomachache.
Jana was tall and curvy, even her dark eyes were larger than life. What she would have given to have her friend’s less conspicuous appearance back in high school.
She had always been told she was beautiful, but a quick glance at a magazine flipped that idea on its head. Compared to those images, everything about Jana was excessive - too tall, too heavy, even too loud. Or at least that was the impression she got from them.
Ironically, it was a teenaged summer begrudgingly spent at Theatre camp because there were no spaces left at Art camp, that had given Jana the escape she needed from worrying about being herself.
At first, she had been more self-conscious than ever, standing on the stage, wishing she could disappear completely - or failing that, wishing that at least thirty percent of her could disappear.
Then Mr. Lafferty had taken notice of her. No matter what else was going on, he would call out to her, “No slouching, Jana,” or “Stand tall, Jana,” or, everyone’s favorite, “Own it, Jana!”
And once she could stand up tall and proud on the stage while the other kids cheered her on, it was suddenly easier to picture standing up tall at home and at school. She floated through the rest of summer, loving her new lease on life.
On the last day of camp Mr. Lafferty pulled her aside.
“Jana,” he said, “I’m proud of you. And I think you’ve got talent. You may have a future in theatre if you’re willing to work hard.”
“I don’t know,” she’d said, shrugging.
It was one thing for your school friends to tell you to own it. It was another to compete in a field full of critical strangers, where looks were everything.
“Who is the target audience in live theatre?” Mr. Lafferty had asked.
“I don’t know,” Jana said again, but this time with interest. She had never really thought about that. “Everyone?”
“Sure,” Mr. Lafferty said. “Everyone is welcome at the theatre. But the patrons who spend the most, donate the most, and spread the word the most are women, age forty to sixty.”
“Yeah?” Jana asked, wondering what he could possibly be trying to tell her.
“Women age forty to sixty don’t give a damn about whether you’re an emaciated waif or a curvy starlet,” Mr. Lafferty said, impressing her by dropping a curse word. “They just want to see good theatre. But they have something going against them.”
Yeah, women have half the world going against them, Jana thought to herself.
“Do you know what it is?” Mr. Lafferty asked.
Jana shook her head, not wanting to get drawn into an adult conversation about sexism.
“Their eyesight,” he said, tapping beside his right eye with his index finger. “The world starts slowly growing dimmer and harder to see the minute you turn forty. I should know.”
“Whoa,” Jana said.
“Yeah,” Mr. Lafferty said. “Anyway, with that crowd, your fantastic physicality and your expressive features will be like catnip. Small actors get swallowed up in a big space, but you were built for Broadway, Jana Watson.”
Chills went down her spine and she grinned at him.
“Anyway, I hope you had a great summer, and don’t forget,” he said and paused, waiting for her to say it.
“Own it,” she replied, meaning it.
“Own it, indeed,” he had agreed.
The door behind her opened again, rousing Jana from her memories.
She turned to see if Vi was ready to go.
But it was Fletcher who stood in the threshold, gazing at her like she was an ice cream sandwich on a hot summer day.
Jana felt the blood rush to her cheeks. After the dream she’d just had it was impossible to look at the handsome alien without wanting to throw herself at him.
“Good morning,” Fletcher said politely.
“Good morning,” she echoed.
“You are up very early,” he pointed out.
He wasn’t wrong. It was about five-thirty, and it felt even earlier to her.
“Vi and I are going on a stakeout,” Jana told him.
“Is that like a cookout?” he asked, looking interested. “Is there steak?”
Jana suppressed a chuckle. The aliens were enormous, and they were always ready for a big meal, even a steak dinner at five-thirty in the morning.
“Not quite,” Jana explained. “You know the man in town with the missing cars that we were talking about - Herman Wendall?”
“The cars that are called clunkers?” Fletcher asked.
“Yes,” Jana said. “Well, we’re trying to figure out who stole his old cars, and why.”
“How will you do that?” Fletcher asked, sitting down across from her.
“Well, we figured it would be difficult to steal cars that aren’t functional. You can’t just drive them away.” Jana said. “Vi did the research, and there’s only one car towing company in this whole area that has a flatbed truck. So we suspect the owner may know something about the theft.”
But by the time she finished explaining, she was barely registering her own words. It was just that Fletcher’s eyes were so blue, and so deep. She swore she could see whole galaxies spinning in them.
The back door opened again, breaking the spell.
“Hey Fletcher,” Vi said, coming out to join them. “You ready, Jana?”
“Sure,” Jana said, wishing she didn’t feel so regretful about leaving the big alien.
Vi’s phone played an ominous piano chord.
“What is that sound?” Jana asked.
“A new auto listing,” Vi said, almost dropping her phone in her eagerness to get it out of her pocket and check it out. “I set up alerts on all of the local auto-sales sites, just in case anyone tried to unload any of the cars we’re looking for.”
Jana was riveted. This was better than any soap opera.
“It’s a match,” Vi reported. “But it’s almost a five-hour drive from here. It would take us all day.”
“What do we do?” Jana asked.
Vi scowled.
“As much as I want to check out the tow truck driver, I think I should go check out this car. It’s a more solid lead.”
“I can still do the stakeout while you and Hannibal check out the car listing,” Jana offered.
Vi looked torn.
“Seriously, I’ll be fine,” Jana said.
“I don’t know this tow truck guy,” Vi said. “He was very evasive when I called him. For all we know, he’s got something to do with this. He could be dangerous. And besides, if you’re there for hours, you really need back-up. Solo stakeouts are for advanced detectives.”
“I’ll go with you, Jana,” Fletcher offered.
Jana’s stomach did a little backflip at the thought, and she looked at Vi for her reaction.
2
Fletcher
Fletcher watched as the two women exchanged a look.
He was not skilled in the more subtle ways of
Earth yet. They might decide that he would not be a help on the stakeout. But he wasn’t sure what he would do if Jana tried to go without him.
Vi had indicated this work might be dangerous, and the need to protect Jana overwhelmed him.
Jana was his mate - he knew it to his bones. But she seemed to deny their attraction, to deny his very existence at times.
It was confusing and pleasant at the same time, being near her, but unable to claim her without upsetting some unspoken rule.
The men from Aerie were attuned to unspoken rules. On Aerie, where they had existed as gaseous masses, there was very little privacy. Manners were everything when it came to keeping society together.
So although he did not understand why Jana didn’t want to talk about their connection, he respected her boundaries and did not push it.
They would join when the time was right. He was certain of it.
“You know what?” Vi said. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Jana smiled and looked down in a shy way that was the opposite of her usual confidence.
Fletcher wondered what it could mean. Was she ashamed to be happy to spend time with him?
“Go tell your brothers,” Vi told Fletcher. “And grab anything you need for the day.”
He nodded, then jogged upstairs to find Hannibal and Spenser draped over the sofa eating breakfast.
“Hello, brothers,” Fletcher said.